Gleb Savchenko has responded after his ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, sought legal assistance to find him and their teenage daughter in Los Angeles. The 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars star said their 15-year-old daughter has chosen to limit her contact with her mother.
Gleb Savchenko disputes Elena Samodanova’s account in a new court filing
This comes after Elena asked Hong Kong’s Department of Justice to intervene and seek Olivia’s return to China. She also asked authorities to help locate Gleb and their teenage daughter, alleging that she did not know their whereabouts in Los Angeles. Gleb has disputed that claim, saying Elena knows where they are. He added that the mother and daughter have spoken several times since Olivia chose to stay in California with him, reports TMZ.
On July 14, Gleb filed for sole custody in Los Angeles. In his court filing, he claimed that he and his ex-wife, who is also a professional dancer and choreographer, agreed that she could temporarily relocate their daughters to Hong Kong for a work project, provided she brought them back after one year.
According to court documents obtained by People, Gleb alleged, “Instead, she has remained in Hong Kong, obtained permanent Hong Kong residency, enrolled the children in an expensive private school, got the children a cat, became engaged, and had another child with her fiancé.”
In the filing, Gleb claimed Olivia, who is currently visiting him in Los Angeles, wants to remain in the U.S. rather than return to Hong Kong. The father further alleged that Olivia does not want to confront her mother because of Elena’s recent abusive comments.
The former couple married in July 2006 before announcing their split in November 2020. Elena filed for divorce in December 2023, accusing Savchenko of infidelity. The court ordered the former couple to attend child custody mediation on Aug. 5, with a hearing scheduled for Aug. 18.
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